NATIONAL REPORT—With advancements in controls technology and equipment design, washer-extractors (washers) are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and flexible. This is good news for hoteliers looking to save money in a recovering economy. In the race to gain new business, vendors are manufacturing higher G-force machines that spin off more water faster, allowing linens to dry in less time. In some cases, advancements have allowed rinse cycles and dryers to be eliminated entirely. While innovation has allowed vendors to squeeze just about as much water as they can out of the washing process, other advances, especially in software programming, are...

RICHMOND, VA.—Virginia has introduced a new green-themed vacation giveaway celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th anniversary. The Virginia “Go Green on the Blue Ridge Parkway Sweepstakes” offers a chance to win a family road trip. Participants can win a seven-day, six-night vacation for four, complete with airfare, a hybrid rental car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and overnight stays at Virginia Green hotels, resorts and cabins. The sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents 21 and older and runs through November 1, 2010. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which covers 469 miles of scenic byway from Shenandoah...

PITTSBURGH—Pittsburgh’s eagerly anticipated premier luxury hotel, Fairmont Pittsburgh, is set to open March 29, 2010. The new hotel will feature 185 guestrooms, 12,000 square feet of event space, and a 6,000-square-foot health club, as well as a full-service restaurant, Habitat, and its feature bar, “Andys.” The new Fairmont makes its home at Three PNC Plaza, the largest high rise construction project in the city of Pittsburgh in the last 20 years, and one of the largest mixed-use buildings to be certified by the United States Green Building Council in accordance with its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating...

NORWALK, CONN.—HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the United States’ fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, announced that it received the Corporate Energy Management award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) at the 32nd World Energy Engineering Congress 2009. One of the nation’s premier energy management and renewable energy events, the AEE Corporate Energy Management award is presented to companies and individuals who make important strides in energy conservation, sustainability efforts and/or products. HEI joins Toyota, General Motors, the U.S. Postal Service and McDonald’s as past winners of the award. “Since launching our energy management programs in 2005,...

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—The New Year is a time for new resolutions, and 19 hotels recently made their resolutions to protect Florida’s environment by becoming designated members of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Green Lodging program. With the new designations, the program has surpassed 600 members, and now boasts a total of 614 designated properties statewide. “Earning designation in the Florida Green Lodging program is an achievement these 614 facilities can be proud of,” said DEP director of sustainable initiatives Deas Bohn. “The environmental commitment demonstrated by Green Lodging facilities serves as an example and challenge to other hotels to...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the opening of its first Element hotel in New Jersey and the seventh Element hotel globally, Element Ewing-Hopewell in Ewing, N.J., just 10 minutes outside Princeton. The hotel is owned through a joint venture between American Properties Realty, Inc. and Hersha Hospitality Management, L.P., which is also the manager of the hotel. Element, Starwood’s green trailblazer, made history when it launched as the only major hotel brand to mandate that its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings. With 127...

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK—Yellowstone’s newest gift store has a single purpose: to inspire visitors to help protect national parks. Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operator of lodges, gift shops, restaurants and activities in Yellowstone National Park, has converted its gift shop in the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel into an interpretive facility dedicated to informing park visitors about climate change and offering environmentally friendly products. The store was dedicated January 7, 2010. Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, spoke at the dedication and gave a keynote address following the event. The event was also attended by some of the...

UVITA, COSTA RICA—When a property is part of a nature preserve and adjacent to a national park, there is the expectation that special care will be taken to minimize one’s environmental impact. The operators of La Cusinga Lodge in Uvita, Costa Rica, which is located in a preserve that borders the Ballena Marine National Park, do recognize their responsibility and are setting a standard for other eco lodges around the world to follow. Up and running since 1996, it is only within the last year that La Cusinga has been connected to the grid. Even with that “advancement,” the...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Market will be emphasizing sustainability more than ever as World Market Center Las Vegas announced a major effort to forward green initiatives beginning with the 2010 Winter Las Vegas Market, February 1 to 5, 2010. The introduction of “One Good World,” a sweeping new program that already encompasses the many eco-friendly practices at World Market Center’s trade complex, will further equip retailers with the insights, information and strategies needed to respond to the rising consumer demand for sustainable furnishings—and reduce one’s own carbon footprint in the process. The effort includes a new sustainable products locator program, showcased...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in safety testing and certification services, recently announced the publication of ANSI/UL 8750, Safety Standard for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Equipment for Use in Lighting Products. The first edition standard creates a global platform of safety requirements for LED lighting equipment as well as the entire supply chain of components used in lighting products employing LED technology. “UL 8750 provides manufacturers a single, much-needed safety standard for testing their LED products and related components sold in the United States,” said Alberto Uggetti, general manager, UL Lighting Business. “The new standard also gives consumers...